It Started With A Bandaid?
by VanillaMostly
Summary: Sequel to A Very Berry Unlucky Day. After Kei's little outburst, everyone at school thinks Narumi and Kiri are going out. Only they aren't! But will they? Who knew little Kei could cause so much to happen! N x K DISCONTINUED
1. Attack of the Fangirls

**A/N: Look, a sequel!! This is for all of you who "story alert"-ed Unlucky Day, even though it was an Oneshot. But I probably didnt make it clear enough. Anyway, this is not an Oneshot, I'm actually gonna continue it. So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty Pop or... It Started With A Kiss (if you got that, good for you! xD)**

-Chapter 1 – Attack of the Fangirls-

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU, **NOTHING HAPPENED BETWEEN US!!!**"

Steam was shooting out of Narumi's ears. He was pissed off today. Much, much more pissed off than usual, and that's saying something.

"Gomen, gomen," said the two girls who asked the question which was labeled Taboo. "We were just curious…"

"NOW GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" bellowed Narumi.

The two girls exchanged a glance and walked away, giggling and whispering.

"Did you see how red his face was?"

"Yeah, talk about being in denial! I didn't believe it before, but now…. ohmygosh, Narumi-senpai's really going out with Koshiba Kiri!"

Kei was eating his potato chips in content and innocently observing Narumi's expression. "Geez, don't be so scary Naru-naru. You'll get wrinkles."

Narumi's veins exploded and he whipped around, grabbing Kei by his shirt collar. There was fire in his eyes. Kei squeaked.

"DAMN IT, KEI! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! STOP TELLING EVERYONE THESE STUPID LIES AND----"

A voice spoke, and it wasn't Kei (who was turning blue).

"Wow, someone needs anger management."

Narumi dropped Kei, the tips of his ears suddenly fiery red.

Kiri stood at the scene, looking bored and sleepy. With her were Taro, Kanako, Iori, and Ochiai. Ochiai was hanging around Kiri a lot these days. But right now Narumi was too busy, what with his life falling into the ruins, to question it.

Kei finished chewing his chips, then ran over to Kiri, crying big fat anime tears.

"KIRI KIRI!!! NARUMI'S TRYING TO KILL ME JUST BECAUSE I TOLD EVERYONE YOU GUYS WERE DATING!"

…silence.

Taro's jaw dropped.

Kanako's eyes widened.

Iori fainted.

Ochiai nearly dropped his precious laptop (though that could be because Iori's unconcious body landed on his shoes).

Kiri was trying not to fall asleep.

"SH-SHUT UP KEI!" yelled Narumi. His ears were turning a brighter shade of red.

Just then, Iori woke up and shrieked dramatically.

"Oh no! My Kiri-chi! YOU!" he pointed a shaky finger at Narumi. "You've deflowered her innocence, evil Narumi! Me shall never forgive you!!!"

Kanako played with her hands. "Ano… Ki-chan? Is this true?" She couldn't imagine Kiri going out with anyone, but maybe Kiri was better at hiding secrets than she'd thought. Kanako glanced at Ochiai-senpai. Did he---

"Ahem." Ochiai adjusted his glasses. "I think we all know that Kei is making it up."

"THANK YOU!" cried Narumi, throwing up his hands hallelujah-style.

"If this whole deal was true, I'm sure Koshiba-san would have said something by now," Ochiai continued logically. "Kiri? Were you really in the SP Room Friday afternoon alone with Narumi?"

Everyone turned to Kiri.

Kiri thought. She remembered taking a nice nap there and there was something involving a lampshade and Narumi. Too bad she was too busy recalling what happened to notice Narumi shaking his head furiously and making slashing gestures at his neck.

"Yes," said Kiri truthfully.

"SEEE!!!!" cheered Kei, jumping up and down. "I WASN'T LYING!" He stuck out his tongue. "I _TOLD _YOU NARU-NARU AND KIRI WERE IN THERE, GOING ALL LOVEY-DOVEY AND---"

"HEY NARUMI!" put in Taro excitedly. "Now that Kiri's your girlfriend, can I be in SP? Please please PLEASE??"

"----me will be talking to Emily about this!!!" Iori was declaring, glaring at Narumi. "MY KIRI-CHI NO DATE UNTIL SHE TURNS THIRTY! ME WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!"

Narumi just stood there, wondering which way of suicide would be easier, drowning or decapitation.

Meanwhile students were walking down the hall, gawking openly at Narumi and Kiri, the New It Couple.

"Do you see that? They totally are together!"

"Wait till Narumi's fanclub gets a hold of this."

"You mean those freaks who walk around with 'I love Narumi' printed on their shirts?"

"My gawd, what do you think they're gonna do?"

"Knowing them, something outrageous."

_Hmmm…. Wonder what that could be?_

---

RIIIINGGG!

School was over. Kiri rubbed sleep from her eyes and shoved her books into her bag. She said goodbye to Kanako, ignored Taro ("Kiri! Don't forget to tell Narumi what a good hair-cutter I am!"), and shook off Iori, who was being even more annoying than usual today. He kept trying to shove a big thick book titled _The Young Girl's Guide to Hormones and How To Control Them_ at her. Whatever the hell that meant.

Kiri walked home alone. It was quiet except for the crunch of gravel underneath her feet. Kiri yawned, thinking of a good nap at home, when someone suddenly stepped rudely into her path.

Kiri looked up.

"Hello there, Kiri Koshiba," said a snobby cold voice.

Ok, make that some _people_. The speaker was not alone. Behind her stood about five other girls. All of them were tall, thanks to five-inch heels, with long poorly-dyed blond hair, heavy makeup, and identical bright pink belly shirts. Bold, large red letters said:

**I ****♥**** Narumi**

Kiri blinked at the spectacle before her.

"Well?" demanded the first girl, tossing her long "blond' hair. "Aren't you going to ask us who we are?"

Kiri couldn't help staring at the giant mole above her lip. It was like a magnet, drawing her in.

"Ah, I see you're too scared to make a noise. So I'll fill you in: we're Narumi-sama's fanclub, his TRUE lovers. Now, normally we wouldn't even want to be SEEN with a little girl like you. I mean, you don't even LOOK like a girl."

She paused so her followers could cackle like loud hyenas.

"But, times have changed." Mole Girl narrowed her eyes. "What's this we hear about you and Narumi-sama dating?"

The other girls stopped laughing and narrowed their eyes menacingly too.

Kiri said, "What?"

They all fell over anime-style.

"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" said Mole Girl. She breathed in deeply and composed herself. "Look, we'll make this simple. Narumi-sama doesn't like you, Kiri. Quit getting it into your head that he does and making up all these silly stories. Narumi-sama will never even LOOK at you, understand? You're just embarrassing yourself."

"Ok… whatever," said Kiri.

"What's that attitude of yours? ARE YOU MOCKING US??"

Kiri's just like, "?"

"YOU ARE!!! Narumi-sama belongs to US, you understand? SO STOP TRYING TO STEAL HIM FROM US, YOU LITTLE TWERP!!!!" screamed Mole Girl hysterically, all composure forgotten.

Kiri sighed. "How 'bout you stop screaming and go get a life?"

Oooh. _Pwned._

"WHY YOU----" Mole Girl's eyes flashed and she drew back her arm.

Slap!

Kiri fell onto the gravelly ground, her cheek stinging. A shadow overcame her as Mole Girl stepped closer, blocking the sun.

"Girls, **get her**."

---

Narumi grumbled as he escaped from the hellhole that was known as "school". Finally, finally, he could go home where NO ONE would be staring at him, asking him stupid questions, or doing anything that reminded him of Kiri. It was bad enough that everyone thought he was dating a girl when he HATED girls. But it was even worse when everyone thought he was dating a girl who he might possibly NOT hate.

Narumi clutched his head. Ugh! Why was everything so confusing? Does he like Kiri or does he not?

Ok, ok. No more thinking about Kiri. In fact, no more thinking AT ALL. Narumi decided to take a different route home than the usual one. Even though this one was longer, it was quieter and there would be less a chance of running into someone from school.

Right.

---

"This ought to teach you a lesson!"

Kiri grimaced as a pair of long nails scratched her face. She couldn't see whose hands and whose feet were coming from who. It was a messy turmoil of kicking and hitting limbs.

Then they stopped, but Kiri couldn't move. They held her down by her hands and feet.

"Know what this is, Koshiba?"

Kiri opened her eyes. Mole Girl was leaning in close, waving something at her face.

A cigarrette.

"Lucky that Yatsuki-san stole a whole pack from her brother, huh? And lucky I----" Mole Girl took something else from her bag. "---happen to have a lighter with me."

She lit the cigarrette.

"Alright, Koshiba. This isn't hard. Just admit that you're stupid and Narumi would never like you and we're a hundred times better than you. If you do that, then we'll maybe let you go. If you don't, then…"

She lowered the cigarrette, inches from Kiri's arm. The embers glowed red-hot and smoke was curling towards the sky.

"… I'm afraid I'm going to be a little harsh."

The girls smirked in triumph.

"Come on. Look, I'll even help you out. Repeat after me: I, Koshiba Kiri, am stupid---"

Kiri rolled her eyes and yawned. "Yeah right. Think of something better and maybe I won't fall asleep."

Mole Girl's face reddened with rage. "YOU---YOU LITTLE BI---"

She gripped the cigarrette tighter and drew back her arm a second time----

Kiri squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the burn.

It didn't come.

"What—the—**hell **do you think you're doing"

Kiri slowly opened her eyes. The cigarrette was lying on the ground. Mole Girl was gasping with pain. Her arm was restrained, twisted the other way by someone's hands. The other girls yelped and let go of Kiri immediately.

"N-narumi s-s-ama?"

---

YUH!!! I finally finished. Gosh, you guys should be really grateful I'm so addicted to writing fanfiction. I'm supposed to be studying for midterms, which count like 20 of my grades, right now. My parents, being so Asian, are going to kill me if I don't get an A this semester. See how much I love you all?

Haha, I know towards the end was a LIIIIITTLE melodramatic, but don't worry, I'll make it light and fluffy in the next chapter. I don't have a solid plan with this story, just so you know. I'm writing it along as I go. So all suggestions are welcome.

NOW REVIEW!!! OR YOU SHALL FACE THE WRATH OF THE FANGIRLS!

Now I have to go study. Dang it.

-VanillaMostly

P.S. That last scene with the cigarrette was based on a scene from another manga series, Mars, which is SO GOOD. You've got to read it. Oh yeah, I don't own that series either, so don't sue me!!


	2. Her Knight in Shining Armor

**A/N:** LOTS OF THANKS to **zenbon zakura,** **Rei-chan94**, **Midnight Assassin740**, **colombiansoccerchick**, **eternalalchemist363,** **BlueRose.xoxo**, **Otaku Nayami**, **Bikukianimefreak**, **Akane Naomi**, **God'sAngel**, **pearlgirl710**, **bunnykim89**, and **natsume-meg93** for reviewing!!!!! You guys are the best!

**Midnight Assassin740: **thanks for reminding me about the allergy thing!!! xDD (and I call myself an authoress?!?)

K, I won't keep you waiting. Let the cameras roll!!

* * *

Ch. 2 – The Knight In Shining Armor 

"Owwww!!!!" wailed Mole Girl. "N-narumi-sama, this isn't what it looks like! Please---my arm!"

Narumi didn't let go of her arm. He was silent. His head was bent down, so you couldn't see his face. Hmm, strange… where was this… oh, I don't know… sudden DARK EVIL aura coming from???

Three…

Two…

One…

Narumi exploded.

"**YOU #&$#!!!!!!! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!! SIX OF YOU GANGING UP ON ONE LIKE THAT---YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!!"**

He put his foot on Mole Girl's back and gave her a good shove, so that she landed face-first and got a mouthful of gravel and dirt. _Nice_. The other girls squealed with fright and scrambled to their feet.

"D-demo!!!" they tried to explain. "We had to do SOMETHING! This girl was claiming she's your girlfriend… and you don't even like her!"

"WHO SAYS I DON'T LIKE HER?"

The fangirls shut up at once.

Narumi was not aware of this. He was on a _roll_.

"----YOU KNOW WHAT, FORGET THE DON'T-HIT-GIRLS RULE! YOU'RE GOING DOWN, #$#!!!!" roared Narumi, pushing back his sleeves and drawing back his fist.

His fanclub screamed and ran away pell-mell with Mole Girl in the lead, spitting out bits of gravel as she went.

But Narumi didn't get a chance to show off his macho kung-fu skills. That was because he couldn't move. Kiri had grabbed his shirt sleeve and wouldn't let him go after them!!

"ARE YOU _CRAZY_??? LET ME GO! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!!!"

(He likes speaking in caps, ok?)

"Forget it," said Kiri.

"HOW CAN I FORGET IT, AFTER WHAT THEY----"

"No, it's not that. Look."

She pointed at his arm.

Narumi yelled. "OH NO!!!! I'M GETTING A RASH!!"

Indeed, a bunch of red polka dots were now spreading on his skin. Narumi cursed. This was just so unfair: so now he couldn't _hit_ girls too? But nothing ever stops THEM from harrassing HIM!!!!

Right on cue, Kiri grabbed his arm.

"AAAAH!!!! WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" exclaimed Narumi, trying to tug his arm back.

"I'm curing your rash, genius," said Kiri. She held up a bottle of lotion. A proclamation read: Herbal Essences Rash-Relief Remedy---With New Strawberry Scented Oil Mixture!

"Iori likes to give me strange gifts," she explained.

"Give me that, I'll do it myself," mumbled Narumi, snatching it over. Kiri rubbing lotion all over him was just too…… hello, weird?!?!

"Wow, this stuff really works----HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!"

Kiri raised an eyebrow.

"IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU? HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM???? SHOULDN'T YOU BE---YOU KNOW!!"

"Know what?" asked Kiri.

"THOSE GIRLS WERE HITTING YOU LIKE THAT! A NORMAL GIRL WOULD HAVE BEEN---" Narumi stopped. Why did he bother? Puffyhead obviously wasn't like any normal girl. He tried a different angle: "I mean, you could've at least _screamed _or something! You're lucky I was walking home this way and heard her say your name, or else---or else---"

"But nothing happened."

"ONLY BECAUSE I GOT HERE IN TIME!!!!" yelled Narumi. He sighed, massaging his temple. It was just hopeless talking to her. "Look, you need to know what to do in situations like that. If they tell you to say something, just say it. Do whatever it is that they want. What does pride matter if it gets you out of danger? Or at the very least, keep your mouth shut. Giving them sass isn't going to help anything. You want to make them _happy_, a little sweet-talking or kissing-up is probably the best…"

Kiri said, "No way. I'd rather die."

"See? That's your problem! You need to be more careful with your life! Maybe _you_ weren't scared back there, maybe _you _don't care what happens to you, but _I_…"

Narumi's voice trailed off. Wait, what was he SAYING?? That _he_ was scared back there and _he _cared what happened to her? 'Cause that's not right! That's totally not right!!!!

But Kiri was deep in thought and didn't notice Narumi freaking out on the spot.

"I _was_ scared," she said finally. "I didn't regret making them mad---I still don't---but I was still scared, I think. If you didn't come… I don't know. Anything could have happened."

Awkward silence.

Narumi stared at his shoes, suddenly embarrassed. Of course she was right: if he _hadn't_ come, who knows what would've happened. But he'd never expected that Kiri would actually admit it out loud. And for some reason, it didn't make him feel smug or cocky, it just made him feel uncomfortable. He glanced around and realized for the first time that they were alone---REALLY alone---in an empty alleyway. He got even more uncomfortable.

He picked up his schoolbag.

"Well, you're safe now, so don't worry about it. Um, I guess I'll see you at school you tomorrow …" He turned to go, but hesitated. What if the fangirls came back? "Hey---your salon's nearby somewhere, right?"

Narumi repeated, "Right?"

No answer.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Kiri on the floor.

"WHAAAAT!!! ARE YOU OKAY? DID THEY DO SOMETHING---"

"Don't spazz out," said Kiri. "I'm fine. I just tripped."

She got up and wobbled on her left foot. Then she took a step and nearly tripped again.

"WOAH!! YOU'RE NOT FINE!" Narumi hurried over. "Here, let me see. Something's wrong with your foot."

She sighed but took off her left shoe all the same. Narumi turned her ankle just slightly.

Kiri grimaced.

Narumi frowned. "It looks swollen, like you twisted it. Did they do this?"

"I think I hurt it when one of them slapped me and I fell on my ankle."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO SOONER!!" Narumi shook his head. "Never mind. How far away's your salon?"

"Three blocks away, maybe."

"WHAT???? YOU CAN'T GO HOME LIKE THAT! IT'LL TAKE FOREVER! IT'S GONNA GET DARK SOON AND---"

Kiri rubbed her eyes, not listening. She was dead tired. It's been a long day.

Narumi stopped ranting and just looked at her. "….ok, get on."

"What?"

"Get on! I'll piggyback you."

"But you're allergic to girls…"

"I don't know why, but I'm immune to you. So it should be okay."

He squatted down into piggyback-position and patted his shoulder.

Kiri didn't move. Narumi sighed in exasperation.

"I haven't got all day, you know! The sooner I get you home, the sooner both of us can get some rest. Some SLEEP."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Glad to know we're on the same page. NOW GET ON!!!"

She got on.

They trudged down the path, Kiri's arms wrapped around his neck. Narumi tried to focus on the clouds in the distance. Kiri's fine strands of hair were grazing his cheek but he refused to think about it---REFUSED TO THINK ABOUT IT!!!

"Naru-naru."

His heart jumped about a mile.

"Y-yeah?" He was so surprised, he forgot to yell at Kiri for calling him 'Naru-naru'.

For a while, all Narumi could hear was her quiet breathing near his ear. He figured she'd fallen asleep when---

"Arigato… for everything."

Her voice was soft and muffled, but Narumi heard and felt those three simple words clearly, right down to his toes.

He blushed deeply, glad that she couldn't see his face and the goosebumps that just sprouted on his arms.

"No problem, Puffyhead."

No answer.

Narumi glanced back and rolled his eyes. How predictable. Kiri had fallen asleep.

Ok… so it was true she didn't come rushing into his arms crying. It was true that she didn't look into his eyes and tell him that he was her savior, her hero. It was true that she didn't act the way a damsel-in-distress should have.

_That puffyhead…_ He thought, turning back to face forward and trudging on. Her slow peaceful breathing---in and out, in and out---was warm against the back of his neck._ She's so not cute…_

But somehow, Narumi was perfectly happy with that.

He smiled; just a tiny, tiny smile.

Not that she could see.

---

_Fifteen minutes later…_

Narumi stood on the Koshiba Hair Salon porch.

The door opened and Seiji Koshiba appeared. He dropped his cigar in shock.

"What in tarnation----????"

Narumi said everything in one breath.

"Some girls attacked Puf---I mean Kiri today and she's got a few scratches and bruises on her but other than that she's fine except oh yeah she needs to ice her foot because she somehow twisted it and I had nothing to do with this you can ask her when she wakes up again."

Seiji stared.

Narumi handed over Kiri and hightailed it outta there while the man was still in his stunned state.

When he got home, Chisami wouldn't leave him alone, as always.

"You're late!! Wait until mom gets ahold of you, I bet---"

Suddenly she stopped, looking bewildered.

"Um… Onii-sama?"

"WHAT NOW, CHISAMI?!?!"

"Why do you smell like… _strawberries_?"

…

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

**TBC

* * *

**

**A/N: PIGGYBACKS RULE!!!!! -sniff- I can die happy now... I've ALWAYS wanted to do a piggyback scene... no kidding.** **Teehee. X3**

**I can't really remember what Chisami calls Narumi so I just went with Onii-sama, though that's probably wrong. OH WELL! it's kind of a trivial thing though, so... -shrug-**

**Questions? Concerns? Wanna yell at me to update? Then go ahead and REVIEW, PLZZZZ!!**


	3. Something Fishy

**A/N: Hey, everyone! I am SO SORRY for not updating in like ever. Blame it on Writer's Block (I swear, I'll never get mad at another author for not updating again... because Writer's Block is the suckiest thing EVER!!) Anywhoo, hopefully this chapter will make up for it!**

Chapter 3 – Something Fishy

Seiji Koshiba sighed and drummed his fingers on his knee.

He was nervous. Today was The Day. And he wasn't sure if he was prepared for it. But it was a father's duty and so he HAD to do it.

"Ok Dad, I'm leaving for school," came Kiri's bored voice from the kitchen.

Seiji jumped from his chair.

"NO! I mean--not yet!"

He grabbed Kiri by the arm and dragged her into the living room.

"…" went Kiri. But she didn't resist and sat down in the chair opposite her father. He always did strange things, so she was kind of used to it. Besides, it wasn't like she was in a rush to go to school or anything.

Awkward silence.

"So," said Seiji. "Nice day today, huh?"

Kiri got up to leave.

"NO, WAIT! I'M NOT DONE!" Seiji yanked Kiri back into her seat.

He cleared his throat. No use stalling now.

"So, Kiri," he said, looking serious. "I was worried sick about you yesterday. You didn't come home at the usual time and you didn't call me after it got dark - well, you don't have a cellphone so I suppose you couldn't have… But that's not the point! The POINT is, you came home LATE. With a BOY. Who said all these silly things, no less. And then you went straight to bed and wouldn't tell me ANYTHING about what had happened!"

Seiji paused, realizing he was getting a little too much into it. He pulled himself together while Kiri waited patiently for him to continue.

"So…" He shifted uncomfortably. "I guess what I'm trying to get at is…."

He took a deep breath.

"It's time for The Talk."

"No," Kiri said simply.

"Yes," said Seiji. "You're growing up now. It's… that age. It's normal, don't worry, everyone goes through it… I did, your mom did, Bobo the Icecream Man did –"

"Dad," said Kiri. "I know."

"You do?" asked Seiji. "As in… everything?"

"Yes," said Kiri.

"Even the… birds and the bees part?"

"Yes," said Kiri.

"And the – er, thing that happens every month-- you know, the – "

"Dad," said Kiri with THAT LOOK.

"Sorry." Seiji scratched his head, secretly relieved. "Um. Ok. Good then."

"NOW can I go?" asked Kiri.

"Yes, you can go," said Seiji.

Kiri grabbed her backpack and stood up.

"Are you sure you want to go to school?" asked Seiji. "I mean, your foot…"

"I'm fine," said Kiri.

"And your face… Does it still hurt?"

"I'm fine," repeated Kiri. "It's just a few bruises and cuts."

Seiji followed her to the door.

"Come straight home after school today, ok?" he said. "Don't talk to strangers. Walk home with a couple of your friends. Like that Taro kid, that weird Iori kid, that quiet little girl with the glasses… but NOT the boy who brought you home last night. I don't like him. He's got that shifty look."

"Bye Dad," said Kiri.

"And OH! You never told me! WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?"

But Kiri had already left.

xxxxx

Iori, Taro, and Kanako saw her at school and… freaked. Well, Kanako freaked inwardly because she was too shy and quiet to want to attract attention to herself the way that… well, Iori did.

"OH MY GOD!!" shrieked Iori as if Kiri had a severed bloody arm hanging off by a hinge. "KIRI-CHI! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!"

Kiri just shot him a look, annoyed. She knew very well that she did NOT have a severed bloody arm or anything of that degree even though Iori was making it sound like she was. Since he wasn't exactly QUIET about it, everyone in the hall had stopped and were staring at her and so she had no choice but to say something, and that was just completely annoying and troublesome.

She sighed. "I fell."

"Oh," said Iori.

The students in the background rolled their eyes and went back to whatever they were doing.

"You fell?" said Taro cluelessly. "Iwas gonna say that you looked like you had been beaten up by crazy girls the night before."

They stared.

Then he and Iori burst out in laughter.

"Ah now, THAT'S a funny one," said Iori, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

Kiri only shrugged.

"Ki-chan, what's wrong with your foot?" asked Kanako. "You're hobbling."

"MY POOR KIRI-CHI! You hurt your foot too?"

"Wow…. It must have been one hard fall," commented Taro.

Kiri shrugged again.

They reached their lockers which were coincidentally placed right next to one another's. IMAGINE THAT! Anyways, while Taro-tard and Iori engaged in a fascinating conversation regarding the latest Yu-Gi-Oh cards and Kanako twiddled her fingers, thinking about Ochiai-senpai, Kiri opened her locker.

…and stared. Her eyebrows actually rose a centimeter up, quite a rare thing for Kiri.

Because inside her locker….

WAS A VOODOO DOLL!!

That's right. Someone had mysteriously put a little doll inside her locker and set it on top of her notebooks. The doll had a poor imitation of Kiri's haircut and there were all these sharp pins and needles sticking out of it. There was even blood on the little doll's dress! Except it was a little too pink to be blood, so it was probably just Fruit Punch.

Still, Fruit Punch or not, it was a pretty scary sight. Any normal girl would've been spooked out of her pants and gasped or cried out or something. But Kiri wasn't any normal girl, so she did no such thing. She just stared at it. In silence.

The first bell rang.

"Aw man," said everyone sadly. Time for class.

"Ready to go, Ki-chan?" asked Kanako, balancing her books on her knee.

Kiri shut her locker.

"Yeah, let's go," she said.

The four friends sauntered off to class (or in Kiri's case, hobbled).

At one point Taro-tard paused in his steps and stood on his toes, scanning the crowd eagerly.

"I wonder where Narumi-senpai and the rest of the SP are?" he asked.

There was a silence as Kiri scratched her nose and yawned widely. She looked up to see all six eyes looking at her expectantly.

"WELL?" prompted Taro.

"Well what?" asked Kiri blankly.

"Where are Narumi-senpai and the rest of the SP?" said Taro, a little frustrated. "I just asked that!"

"You did?" said Kiri.

Taro slapped his forehead. "Just tell us where they are already!"

"Why are you asking me?" asked Kiri, feeling annoyed again.

"Well duh," said Taro. "You're his GIRLFRIEND."

Iori blew his nose. "My Kiri-chi so grown up now," he told Kanako like he was some washed-up actress on a soap opera. "Boyfriend today, who knows what else tomorrow? Me don't know what to do!"

"Um," said Kanako, not sure what to say.

Kiri rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said. She had no idea what was going on, but even pretending to care was too tiresome for her taste. She'd save her energy for something more useful… like sleeping. Because yes, sleep takes energy. Why do you think Kiri looks so sleepy all the time, even though she gets like thirteen hours of sleep per day?

Speaking of which… the sooner she got to class, the more sleep she'd get before class officially started!

"Kiri! Where're you going? I thought we were walking to class together!" called Taro, but Kiri was already disappearing through the crowd. Kanako quickly followed her, not wanting to be left alone with Iori and Taro.

"Look, Kiri-chi's mad!" wailed Iori. "And it's all your fault!"

Taro tried to look ashamed, but then something occured to him.

"HEEYYY! SHE DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION!" cried Taro. He pouted dejectedly. He wanted to see the SP so that he could harrass them some more until they'd feel so harrassed, they'd HAVE to let him join the SP.

"Where oh where IS Narumi-senpai?" Taro inquired out loud.

xxxxxx

At that very moment, Narumi was walking down the hall on the other side of the school, going through some intensive (and heated) inner monologue.

_It's ok… keep walking… just wait… they'll be talking about a janitor's closet soon… just wait…_

So far, his theory wasn't working. But UGGH! He was SO SURE. So sure that today they'd have forgotten about the so-called relationship between him and Kiri!!

But… that's ok. The day was young, right? He had to be optomistic. Calm. And cool.

"Ohayo Narumi-senpai!"

Good, a distraction! He turned around and saw a girl with purple hair smiling at him cheerfully.

She ignored his lack of a cheerful response and whipped out a clipboard instead.

"Hello, I'm Hana-chan from the Yearbook Committee. As you know, we do superlatives every year, and the winner of each superlative gets a special picture in the yearbook. Narumi-senpai, this year you won--"

"Best Hairstylist, I know," said Narumi, nodding modestly. It was the same thing every year. "Just take the picture right now. Get it over with."

The girl blinked.

"Um actually…"

"What?" said Narumi.

"Well… you didn't win that."

"WHAT?!"

"But don't worry, you still won something!" she said brightly. "You won Cutest Couple… with the Best Hairstylist herself! See? Isn't that so much better?"

"WHAT??

"Yup, it's Kiri Koshiba! You guys are soooo cute together, no wonder you guys won. I know _I _definitely voted for you guys--"

So much for being calm and cool. The heat was building up in Narumi so much you could practically hear his ears whistling.

Just before he was about to clobber poor Hana-chan's head, hands suddenly seized him from behind, covered his mouth, and proceeded to dragging him off.

"MMMPFT!! MMPPPPFFT!" screamed Narumi. Interestingly, no one seemed to find it at all odd or alarming that their fellow peer was currently being abducted.

"I GUESS I'LL TAKE THE PICTURES ANOTHER TIME!" Hana called after him cheerfully.

"MMMMPPFPEEELP ME! HELP ME!!" yelled Narumi. Then he stopped when he realized the hands were gone.

"Narumi. It's just us."

Narumi turned around to see Ochiai and Kei standing behind him.

"What was THAT for?" he said with a glare, brushing himself off.

"We had to stop you before you did something drastic!" explained Kei, popping Skittles into his mouth.

"And THAT wasn't drastic at all?" said Narumi.

"Sure it wasn't!" said Kei.

"Where were you yesterday?" said Ochiai. "You didn't walk home with us."

"Were you with… you-know-who?" asked Kei, wriggling his eyebrows.

"I don't know who or WHAT you're talking about," said Narumi.

"So you WERE with her!" said Kei.

"What? No! I never said that!"

"You didn't have to," said Kei wisely. "I could tell."

"Shut up Kei," said Narumi.

"Occhi! Narumi's being mean to me!" whined Kei.

"How about we get to class?" said the mature one of the group.

The three friends did just that.

"Hey," coughed Narumi. "Did you see… Kiri Koshiba today by any chance?"

"Ha!" said Kei. "You care about her!"

Narumi gave him the evil eye. "NO. I just asked because… she has my Math homework!"

"Why would she have your Math homework?" asked Ochiai.

"She probably doesn't. But she MIGHT have it. That's why I need to know."

"That's not what you said," said Kei. "You said 'she has my math homework'. Not 'she MIGHT have my math homework.'"

"Who cares!" said Narumi, SERIOUSLY annoyed now.

"YOU would care," said Kei. "It's YOUR Math homework."

"Never mind my math homework," said Narumi. "Have you guys seen her or not?"

"No," said Ochiai.

"Yes," said Kei.

"Is she ok? Did she, like, look alright?" asked Narumi.

"I don't know," said Kei. "I didn't see her."

"KEI!" yelled Narumi.

"Why wouldn't she look alright?" asked Ochiai.

"Yeah! Is she supposed to look strange today or something?" asked Kei.

"No!" said Narumi. "I was just asking! Kami, it's a simple question!"

"Ok," said Kei. "But it's a FISHY simple question."

"You know what?" said Narumi. "I'm going to class. I don't even know why I'm walking with you guys, seeing as how my class is on the other end of the hall."

"See you, Naru-naru," said Kei.

"Don't call me that!" Narumi snapped over his shoulder.

"Somebody's acting fishy today," Kei told Ochiai.

Ochiai nodded and looked at Narumi's retreating back curiously.

"Hmm…" said Ochiai. "I wonder why…?"

xxxxx

Kiri had Japanese for her first period.

"All right, children!" said the teacher, clapping her hands. "Take out your books! We're reading the new chapter today!"

Everyone groaned collectively and took out their books.

"Um, Ki-chan?" said Kanako quietly. She poked Kiri (who had her head down on the desk and was fast asleep) a few times.

Kiri sat up in a sleepy daze.

"We're reading," whispered Kanako, pointing at her book.

Kiri nodded. This was cue for her to take out her book and put it in front of her face so that it'd LOOK like she was participating in class when in fact, she'd be having a nice little nap.

She reached into her desk and took out her book.

"What page?" she asked Kanako.

"210," Kanako whispered back. "We're at the second paragraph righ--AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

There was a crash, and both Kanako and her chair were on the floor.

"OH DEAR!!" cried the teacher, hurrying over. "Are you ok? What – AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

The teacher's scream was even louder than Kanako's (if that was possible).

"K-KOSHIBA!! DON'T MOVE!!"

Everyone followed the teacher's gaze, which was on Kiri.

After that, it was chaos.

"EWWWW!! GROSS!"

"I've never seen one that big!"

"Ohmygod, it's climbing on her arm!!"

"EEAAACKKK!!"

"…?" was all Kiri said.

"I'LL GO GET HELP!" screamed the teacher, who was standing on her desk and didn't look like she was going anywhere at all. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!! DO NOT PANIC!!"

Kiri looked at her arm.

"It's just a tarantula…"

She plucked the hairy tarantula from her arm and cupped it in her hands in one smooth motion.

Everyone shrieked even louder.

"OMG WHAT'S SHE DOING!!"

"SHE'S LOST HER MIND!!"

Kiri gave them a look that said clearly, "I'm not the one standing on the desks and wetting my pants."

As everyone held their breath, she walked over to the window, opened it, and put the tarantula on the window sill. The hairy monster climbed off the sill and was gone.

"There," she said calmly, like she did this sort of stuff everyday.

"Whew," said everyone, the teacher the loudest of all.

The door slammed open and the janitor rushed in, holding a broom like a sword.

"EVERYONE CALM DOWN! I'M HERE TO-- Wait." The janitor looked confused. "There's no burglar. What's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing," said the teacher. "Everything's fine now."

"Aww," said the janitor in disappointment. He left.

Everyone climbed down from the desks and returned to their seats.

"You're so brave Kiri!" said a random girl.

"I would have done the same if it was me," said the guys, puffing their chests, but everyone knew it was so obviously a lie.

"I'm just glad we're all ok," said the teacher, patting her chest to make sure her heartbeat was back to normal. "Alright now! Back to reading!"

Everyone groaned and flipped open their books again.

"That was weird, though," Kanako said to Kiri quietly. "Where did that tarantula come from? They're not exactly common in this area."

Kiri said nothing.

**You know how it's done. Review please!**


	4. The Truth Revealed, Pt 1

A/N: Hi!

Just so you know, I ended up cutting my original Ch. 4 into halves (it got too long, messy, and endless). What you're reading is actually Part One of my original Ch.4. As for Part Two... well you'll have to wait a while as I finish it up. Sorry. But on the plus side, you guys get to read this sooner than if I had tried to finish the original Ch. 4, which at the rate it was going, would've been forever! Ok I sound completely retarded, so I'll just shut up now...

WAIT, NO! I forgot the most important thing! TO ALL OF YOU AWESOME READERS AND REVIEWERS: DOMO ARIGATO! This fic would be nothing without your support, because your reviews are my motivation. XD Cheers!

* * *

The school courtyard was quiet, except for the rustle of tree leaves blowing across the ground. All the students were still inside the building, sitting through class. A furry little squirrel scrambled down from a tree to pick up a tasty-looking acorn.

But before it could get there…

CRUNCH.

The acorn was crushed into bits.

By a bright pink high heel.

So I guess not ALL the students were in class.

The squirrel looked up, squeaked, and ran away. It was afraid of a lot of things, but crazy fangirls with an evil plan was at the top of its list.

The crazy fangirls with an evil plan paid the squirrel no attention. They were in the middle of some… evil planning. Obviously!

"… just don't understand why it didn't work! My plan was PERFECT!"

The girl with the mole flipped her dyed blond hair and stomped her shoes again to show her outrage.

"Well," said one of her followers nervously. "It looks like she's not afraid of tarantulas."

"Damn it!" cursed another. "That thing cost me thirty bucks, you know!"

"Hey, at least YOU don't have to do chores for your brother for the next month," grumbled another girl. "It was the only way I could get him to put that… _thing_ in her desk. Do you know how nasty his room is? And I have to do his laundry too!"

The other girls patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"QUIET!" screamed Mole Girl, even though no one was speaking. "I'm trying to think!"

"Think about what?" asked the other girls.

"A new plan, of course," said Mole Girl.

The other members of Narumi's fanclub exchanged a glance.

"You mean… we have to get _another_ tarantula?" asked one of them. She had tried to pluck her eyebrows but obviously did a poor job, because they were totally uneven. So from now on she will be known as Brow Girl.

"Or _another _voodoo doll?" frowned another. Her lipstick was painted onto her teeth. She will be known as Lip Girl.

"Ugh, not again!" cried the last one. There was nothing particular about her and so she will be known as Last One. "Those needles pricked my fingers like a zillion times!"

"Will you STOP complaining already?" snapped Mole Girl. They shut up. "Look, class is almost over. Did you do all the other things I told you to?"

"Uh-huh!" said Last One proudly. "Those were easy!"

"And you made sure no one saw you? Or leave anything that could lead back to us?"

"Of course!" said Brow Girl.

"Good." Mole Girl nodded, satisfied. "Then we can move onto Plan C."

"There's a Plan C?" quipped Lip Girl.

Mole Girl's lips curled so that it looked like her mole was moving literally.

"There is," she said. "I just thought of it."

She motioned them to close in and whispered it in their ears.

"Ingenious!" cried Brow Girl.

"Amazing," said Lip Girl.

"Wow," giggled Last One.

"I know right?" crooned Mole Girl, patting her hair. She cackled madly. "Kiri Koshiba's going down! She'll regret ever crossing with us after this!"

They joined in on the evil laughter.

"Ok." Mole Girl held up a hand and looked around ninja-like. "Let's get going, come on…"

o.o.o.o

Chapter 4: The Truth Revealed, Part 1

o.o.o.o

Kanako was puzzled.

Today was sure a weird day.

And she wasn't talking about JUST the Tarantula Incident.

For example, in math class, as they got ready to take notes, Kanako looked over to see that all of Ki-chan's notebook pages were glued together.

"Maybe your bottle of glue spilled?" suggested Kanako, taking the notebook and examining it.

"Probably," said Kiri.

But even Kanako herself knew it didn't make sense. Even if Ki-chan did have a bottle of glue in her bag and it spilled, it wouldn't have glued the pages together so perfectly.

She ended up lending paper to Ki-chan and forgot about it.

Their on their way to P.E., their next class, Kanako was walking along with Kiri down the crowded stairs when Kiri suddenly missed a step and fell, scraping her knees. Luckily she caught the banister in time before there could be a domino-effect.

"Are you okay?" asked Kanako, rushing over. "Do you need to see the nurse?"

Kiri shook her head. "I'm good."

As she helped Kiri to her feet, Kanako thought she heard a giggle somewhere behind her. But when she looked, the person was gone – although Kanako caught a brief glimpse of the color pink. Did she imagine it?

Then in the locker room, while all the girls changed into their gym uniform, Kanako noticed that Kiri was just standing there, looking at her locker cubby.

"Ki-chan?" asked Kanako. "Aren't you going to change?"

Kiri started and turned around, blocking Kanako's view of her cubby.

"No," she said. "I forgot my gym shorts."

Kanako could've SWORN she saw Kiri leaving her gym clothes here yesterday. But she didn't say anything, figuring Kiri probably didn't want to participate in gym today because of her hurt ankle and now, scraped knees.

But as they left the locker room, Kanako noticed a pair of scissors lying near the door and a torn tatter that looked awfully like someone's gym shorts.

THEN, when they got back to the classroom, they found that someone had taped a sign onto Kiri's desk.

In large curly script was written:

STOOPID

Everyone in the class laughed. Not at Kiri, but at the person who wrote the sign.

"Can't they even spell right?" guffawed one boy.

"Maybe that's the point," a girl said. "You know, to emphasize how 'stupid'."

"Who writes lame signs like these anyway?" asked someone else.

"A five-year-old, that's who," snorted another boy.

The teacher for their next class arrived and everyone had to go back to their seats. Only Kanako was left frowning at the sign.

"Ki-chan, why would someone do this?" she said to Kiri. "April Fools' Day was last month."

Kiri only shrugged.

Kanako threw away the sign, thinking it was one of the class clowns trying to be funny. But as far as she knew, all the people in her class knew how to spell. Unless that was the point, like the girl had said…?

Like Kanako said, today was sure a weird day.

o.o.o.o

Narumi rolled up his sleeves and lathered up his hands with twice the usual amount of that cheap soapy stuff they had in the bathrooms. He turned up the faucet and scrubbed so hard his skin felt raw.

After some rigorous rinsing, he dried himself and sniffed his arms.

Nope, they still smelled like strawberry.

Narumi kicked at the trashcan angrily before stomping out of the restroom.

Those stupid fangirls! He should have reported them to the principal this morning. Should've just looked at him in the eye and said, "Listen, sir, these girls are dangerous and you should expell them this instant." But what if the principal didn't believe him and needed solid evidence? Then he would have to explain about the whole rumors-spreading thing and him and Kiri and what happened yesterday –

Yeah, beating them to a pulp was easier. But the last time he had tried to do that, he ended up needing strawberry-smelling lotion. And… he was back to square one.

Really, why did he care? It wasn't like Puffyhead was TOO bodily harmed yesterday and it was HER business who she made enemies with, not his… And since when did she hire him as her "avenger" anyway?

Narumi swallowed, guilt sinking in his stomach. But he tried to tell himself it WASN'T his fault, and much less his responsibility whatever happened to Kiri.

And he DIDN'T care what happened to her. He DIDN'T.

Footsteps jerked Narumi out of his thoughts.

"… I'm so hungry Ki-chan, I can't wait to eat lunch…"

"…"

Narumi's blood ran cold. Speak of the devil! He knew that voice! Or rather, that yawn!

Footsteps were drawing closer…

He dove behind a janitor's cleaning cart.

"… what's wrong, Ki-chan?"

"No… nothing. I thought I saw someone."

"Really? Who?"

Narumi gulped, holding his breath. They were so close he could see their shoes. Could they see him? Was his hair showing? What would they think if they saw him hiding? They'd want to know why!

What was he going to say? HE didn't even know why!

"… no, I imagined it."

"Oh, I know what you mean, I got that feeling today too! Remember when you fell on the staircase on the way to gym…"

The voices trailed off. Narumi exhaled from his hiding spot. He listened to their footsteps fading, trying not to sneeze because the mop was tickling him.

_Haha, scaredy-cat._

Wh-? Who is this?

_That tiny voice in your head. Never mind me, worry about your own issues._

I don't have any issues and I'm not a scaredy-cat!

_Right… and why are you hiding behind a stinky mop, exactly?_

How should I know!

_I think you do know. I'll give you a hint: it rhymes with Miri and it starts with a K._

…Kaliri?

(whistles)…

Okay, FINE! But I'm not AFRAID of her!

_You don't have to be defensive. It's normal… love makes people afraid._

SHUT UP! I DON'T EVEN LIKE HER - IN THAT WAY!

Are you sure? That's not what you said yesterday…Wait – what? Stop spewing nonsense!

_Ok, allow me to show you.._

Flashback (A/N: Bet you don't remember this. It's from Ch.2)

"_SIX OF YOU GANGING UP ON ONE LIKE THAT--YOU MAKE ME SICK!!"_

_The fangirls were trying to explain. "But this girl was claiming she's your girlfriend… and you don't even like her!"_

"_WHO SAYS I DON'T LIKE HER?" Narumi yelled._

Present-day Narumi's eyes bugged.

Hold up… WHAT?!

_Instant replay:_

"_WHO SAYS I DON'T – "_

Stop, I heard you the first time!

_Told ya so._

But Narumi was too distracted to hear him – I mean it. His stomach churned uncomfortably. He was so stupid… how could he have forgotten he said this… And there were other people around when he said it – worse, PUFFYHEAD was around…

OH KAMI! WHAT WAS HE THINKING WHEN HE SAID THAT? No, that's the thing, he WASN'T thinking.

Narumi resisted the urge to slap himself.

"Oi… can you get outta the way, kid?"

Narumi turned around and saw a janitor holding a broom (no, not like a sword this time).

"I have a toilet to clean, ya know. Find somewhere else to spy on girls from. Let me tell you, if you got my mop all dirty and mussy, your head will have to pay the price."

He chuckled, but Narumi only stared. All he heard was "girl", "mussy", and "head", and that wasn't a very good combination, at least not from that order.

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!" Narumi screamed bloody-muder and ran away.

The janitor scratched his head.

"Jeez, can't anyone take a joke these days?"

o.o.o.o

The weirdest thing of the day did not happen until after lunch.

It was science class. Kanako was sitting at her desk, half-paying attention as their teacher wrote chemical equations on the board, when –

BAM! The door slammed open and the principal appeared in the doorway, panting like he ran a mile.

"Mr. Yamato-san!" exclaimed the teacher in surprise.

The principal's face was beet red as he scanned the classroom. His eyes stopped when they landed on Kiri, who was dozing off as usual.

"K-Koshiba!" he bellowed.

For the second time that day, Kiri looked up to see someone pointing a shaking finger at her. Only this time, the person wasn't scared.

Oh boy. If he saw a tarantula at that moment, he would've wrung its neck.

Especially if the tarantula's name was Koshiba.

"What – " he roared " – is the meaning of THIS?!"

He waved a piece of pink paper at Kiri.

"…?" Kiri could only blink at him.

"PRETENDING LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! HOW DUMB DO YOU THINK I AM? THAT'S IT! YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!" He yelled, grabbing Kiri by the arm.

"Yamato-san, please!" cried the teacher. "What're you doing?"

"This young lady is about to get a lesson in respect!" yelled the principal over his shoulder as he dragged a very confused Kiri out of the classroom.

They could hear his angry yelling even from here.

"Ki-chan!" whispered Kanako in horror.

While everyone went abuzz with this news and the teacher tried to quiet them down, Kanako saw that the principal had dropped something.

The pink piece of paper.

Making sure no one else was looking, Kanako picked it up with trembling hands. It looked like a letter.

Kanako read it to herself.

GASP!

Her heart thumped as she pieced everything together. Then Kanako bolted out the room in a most un-Kanako-like fashion.

BAM! The door slammed shut.

Silence.

"What in the world is going ON today?" cried the teacher.

o.o.o.o

Kanako tore blindly down the hall, clutching the letter in her hand. Where was the principal's office? She had to get there before –

She was so busy panicking, she didn't notice someone walking down the hall in the opposite direction.

CRASH!

"Ugh…" mumbled Kanako, clutching her head. What happened? A pair of glasses were lying a few feet away. She looked up and gasped.

"Ochiai-senpai!"

**TBC**

So how many of you knew it was Narumi's fanclub behind the fishy things? Just curious here!

I know, not much fluff in this one, but it was hard to fit it in with the way the plot's going. I promise, next time. (Poor Narumi, he finally lost his mind. Ha, I just love torturing him!)

I'll try hard to update soon! If I don't, know it's finals and state tests and end-of-the-year projects keeping me busy (I really don't like this time of the year…) xP

**What did the pink letter say? Will Kiri be saved from the wrath of the principal? Most importantly, will Narumi get his sanity back? Find out in...**

**The Truth Revealed: Part 2!**

P.S. I'm going to be wild and take a shot at this... I'm taking requests!


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